Is Your Newspaper Secure?

In a world full of #Fakenews and alternative facts, it is understandable if you cling to your trusty Infosecurity for comfort and accuracy.

It’s OK though, we understand you may occasionally venture into other pages or onto other websites to get your news. We won’t hold it against you (too much)! It seems however, that whilst we may be forgiving, you may be putting yourself at risk too.

In July, reports revealed that users of the latest version of Google’s Chrome browser were getting security pop-ups if they went to one of the world’s most visited newspaper sites – the Daily Mail.

OK, you may be at risk of seeing one too many Kim Kardashian stories or an insane amount of information about how the latest heatwave in the UK is shutting the whole country down, but are you secure?

What it really comes down to is that the website is not using the HTTPS protocol, switched to by so many companies in order to protect both themselves and their users. The latest browser version – number 68 if you can believe it – has moved on from only flagging sites that collect passwords or credit card details, but now it is warning users of this extra level of security on any website. Other massive websites in the UK have also not made the move yet, including LADbible, Sky Sports and National Rail.

It is also interesting to see how many internet service providers and mobile phone companies remain on the HTTP protocol – such as Virgin Media, Vodafone and Three.

The fact is other big browsers are likely to follow where Google leads, and nobody wants the first thing a user sees when they land on their website to be a security warning. So, it is something they will have to think about very soon…(and yes, we use HTTPS).